Earth-moving machine



March 27,, 951 R. E. SHERWOGD EARTH-MOVING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 194'? gnu: "(on March 27, 1951 R. E. SHERWOOD EARTH-MOVING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1947 M. 5 W W 0 M M, m 4 B 1% We Q\ Hul m% arch 27, M51 R. E. SHERWOOD EARTH-MOVING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 25, 1947 March 217 1951 R. E. SHERWOOD 2,46 @7 EARTH-MOVING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 36 and 38 for holding the upper run 49 of the conveyor 35 in a substantially straight line.

The driving shaft 31 has fixed thereto a worm gear 4| with which a worm 42 carried by a shaft 43 meshes. The shaft 43 is journalled in one or more bearings 44 carried by the frame [0, and the shaft 43 has interposed therein a pair of universal joints 45 and 46. The power unit 29 includes a driving shaft 41 having mounted thereon a driving pulley 48 about which an endless belt 49 engages. The forward end of the shaft 43 has mounted thereon a pulley 50 about which the belt 49 engages, and preferably the belt 49 is normally loose so that in its normal position the belt 49 will not rotate pulley 50. V

In order to effect operation of the pulley 50 with the pulley 48, I have provided an idler belt tightening pulley which is rotatably carried by a rod '52 formed with a bore 53 which slidably engages about a guide and supporting rod 54 fixed to and extending forwardly from the power member 29. The rear end of the pulley 5l'is tapered as indicated at 55 so that this pulley can readily ride under the belt 49 as it is moved to operative position.

A pulley adjusting lever 56 is rockably carried by a support 51 which is carried by the frame [I], and the lever 56 is connected by means of a pivot 58 which extends through an elongated slot 59 to the rod 52. An intermediate idler pulley 60 is mounted on a shaft 6| disposed below the shaft 4'! and engages the belt 49 so as to form a substantially triangular arrangement of the belt 49 with the clutching pulley 5| engaging the substantially vertical run 62 of the 1 belt 49 between the idler 66 and the driving pulley 48.

The frame In also includes a hopper or receiver 63 which extends rearwardly from the digger frame 15, and is adapted to receive the material elevated by the conveyor 35. The hopper or receiver 63 includes opposite side walls 64, a forward wall 65, and a gate or rear wall 66. The bottom of the receiver or hopper 63 is formed by means of the upper run 6! of an endless conveyor 68. The endless conveyor 68 engages at its forward end about an idler roller 69 and at its rear end about a driving roller 10. v

A plurality of intermediate idler rollers H engage beneath the upper run of the conveyor and hold the upper run of the conveyor in substantially. horizontal or fiat position. The conveyor 68 isadapted at itsupper run to move rearwardly for discharging the material from the hopperor receiver 63 rearwardly of the machine.

The driving roller is mounted on a driving shaft 12 which has a worm gear 13 fixed thereon and with which a worm 14 meshes. The worm 14 is secured to a shaft journalled in bearings 16, and the shaft 15 extends upwardly and forwardly and has interposed therein a pair of universal joints Hand 78. end has fixed thereto a pulley 19 about which a driving belt 88 engages. The belt 80 also engages about a driving pulley 8| which is fixed to the shaft 41 and a clutching pulley 82 engages the belt 80 in the same manner as the clutching pulley 55 engages the belt 49 so as to effect operation of the shaft 15 and the conveyor 68.

.The details of construction and operation of the clutching pulley 5i, shown in Figure 8, are the same with respect to the pulley 82.

The shaft 15 at its forward justed on the horizontal portions 8? at which The.

pulley 82 has connected thereto an adjusting lever 83 with which an'operating rod 84 is contime the lower edge 89 of the gate will remain in its normal elevation which it assumes when in closed position.

The downwardly curved rear portions 88 are provided so that the lower edge 89 of the gate may be lowered to the desired degree and at this time the gate 66 may constitute a levelling blade for levelling any dirt or material which may be discharged onto the ground by the conveyor 68 between the rear end of the receiver or hopper- 63 and the rearwardly extended or adjusted gate 66.

v The gate 66 is adapted to be adjusted to either open or closed position by means of hydraulic operators 96 secured one to each side of the receiver or hopper 63. The hydraulic operators 90 include a cylinder 9! which is connected by means of a pair of pipes 92 and 93 to the pump 3|. The pump 3| has connected thereto a valve 94 having a valve adjusting lever 95 with which a valve adjusting rod 96 is connected. The hydraulic gate adjuster or operator 9!] also includes a plunger 91 which is pivotally connected as at 98 to the gate 66.

In the use and operation of this device, the' frame it! is adapted to be connected to a tractor by means of a drawbar 99 so that the device may be pulled over the surface of the ground. In inoperative position the digging blade l4 will be disposed above the surface of the ground, butwhen the ground is to be engaged the blade [4 is lowered by the hydraulic member l9 which swings the digger frame l5 downwardly and rearwardly.

The conveyor 351s operated by the power unit v29, being clutched thereto by means of the clutching pulley 5|. which may be adjusted to' clutchingposition by an adjusting rod i 06 which is connected to the'pulley adjusting lever 56. In the event it is desired to move the quantity of dirt, the gate 66 may be adjusted to its closed position and the discharge conveyor 69 may be maintained inoperative until the receiver or hopper 63 has been substantially filled. The device may then be moved to the desired location, whereupon the gate 66 may be moved rearwardly to either discharge the dirt in a pile, whereupon the gate 66 will be moved to the rear portion of the horizontal portions 8,! of the guides/or brackets 85 or 86. If, during the discharge of the receiver 63, it is desired to level the dis-f charged dirt. toapredetermined height, the gate 66 is moved rearwardly an additional distance to engage in the. downwardly curved track or supporting portions 68. The machine, during the levelling operation is moved forwardly at the desired speed at the same time the conveyor discharges the dirt from the receiver.

With a device ofthiskind a relatively sman powered tractor may be connected with the ma- A chine, the tractor being of only sufficient power 5 to pull the machine during the digging operation,

and when the receiver filled: -In this manner the machine herein disclosed may be of any desired size independent of the size of the tractor, inasmuch as any conventional tractor is usually provided with sufficient power to pull this machine during the digging, loading and transferring, together with the levelling operations.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In an earth moving machine, a body, wheel means supporting said body, said body including spaced side walls and a front wall, a movable floor means for moving dirt placed in said body in a rearwardly direction, power means for operating said movable floor, a pair of fixed guide means havingvertically spaced and horizontally disposed arms carried by each of said side walls, said arms having parallel portions extending rearwardly of said body including downwardly curved extended ends, a movable rear wall of said body disposed between said arms and slidably connected thereto having a lower edge movable below the plane of said floor, a hydraulic ipower means interconnecting said rear wall and said body and operative to move the rear wall in a vertical position rearwardly and downwardly along said arms whereby an opening is effected rearwardly of said body with said rear wall acting as a vertically disposed adjustable spreader for dirt moved rearwardly by said floor.

RAYMOND E. SHERWOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 827,457 Martin July 31, 1906 1,459,385 Wills June 19, 1923 1,494,458 Campbell May 20, 1924 1,785,106 Adams Dec. 16, 1930 1,870,673 Detrick Aug. 9, 1932 2,239,029 Barrett Apr. 22, 1941 2396.287 Robb Mar. 12, 1946 

